Celebrating De-Addiction day : Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar
On the occasion of ‘De-addiction Day: Celebrating Transformation’ at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar, dignitaries joined His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj to pay tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s tireless efforts at convincing people to renounce addictions and inspiring large-scale de-addiction campaigns that transformed the lives of millions around the world.
Further Adarshjivandas Swami, the biographer of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, narrated some of the life lessons from the life of Pramukh Swami and said,
“Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s love for God manifested in the prayers in which he remained forever immersed. Despite his hectic schedule, Pramukh Swami Maharaj remained focused on worshipping God. Thirst, hunger and fatigue were forgotten in his love for worship, which transcended all other activities throughout his life. Pramukh Swami Maharaj always said his primary goal was connecting people to God. Through his life and preaching, he taught that it is possible to be strongly connected to God despite living and working in society.”
Padma Shri Dr. Pankaj Shah, Director of the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, said, “For the last 50 years, my life’s mission has been to stop the spread of cancer. Stopping tobacco usage would reduce cancer incidence by 40%. These addictions not only destroy the consumer but also the whole family – physically and financially. Punjab is reeling from the destructive effect of addictions on their youth, and this addiction epidemic has spread to Gujarat.
“I have witnessed Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s initiatives to stop addictions. During summer vacations, BAPS children travelling through society to convince people to renounce addictions have been the most effective I have seen in my entire life. The power of an innocent child to convince adults to throw away their addictions is truly divine. These de-addiction programmes by Pramukh Swami Maharaj are being carried forward by Mahant Swami Maharaj and will have far-reaching effects towards creating a better addiction-free and cancer-free society.”
Also read: Day 3 : Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar.
the event and the evening was then concluded by the wise words of His holiness Pramukh Swami ji,
During his lifetime, Bhagwan Swaminarayan inspired 3,000 monks to travel through villages where they counselled people to give up addictions. Pramukh Swami Maharaj continued this movement, ensuring that people lead an addiction-free life in India and worldwide. Today, Mahant Swami Maharaj inspires millions to shun the shackles of additions. Over 50,000 BAPS children participated in the de-addiction rallies organized at 100 BAPS centres across India on World No-Tobacco Day on 31 May 2022. During these rallies, the children appealed to all to support social uplift through de-addiction and a healthy lifestyle.
In a public assembly in 1985, Joseph Maturia, Kenyan Minister at the time, had pledged to give up alcohol in the presence of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. When he met Pramukh Swami Maharaj again on 12 May 2007 at the BAPS mandir in Nairobi, he said, “Pramukh Swami Maharaj had inspired me to give up alcohol 22 years ago. Since then, I have never had a craving to drink alcohol. He has truly transformed my life for the better.”
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